


the middle management

by inacherii



Category: Ame no Mori Kawa Umi/雨ノ森 川海, BEYOOOOONDS (Band), CHICA#TETSU, Hello! Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Student Council, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-25 06:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20719526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inacherii/pseuds/inacherii
Summary: in the midst of funding crisis and bake sales, ichioka reina and her student council promise to make this school year the best.





	1. back to school

The first bell of the day literally shrieks for their first classes of the school year but that bell is definitely not for her.

Ichioka Reina, a 3rd-year with things she has to do (nothing, nothing at all), now has to spend her time pent up in the old, musty, dusty principal's office for who knows what. The room is particularly small, it's tiny, and honestly, it's making her feel claustrophobic. So much so that she has to pull the collar of her uniform a bit so it doesn't feel like she's choking, and the blue sweater-vest feels like it's going to shrink on her. It makes her feel just a little bit bad for the principal. There are multiple reasons she could've been called in, maybe the time she accidentally leaned on the fire alarm, another time where she accidentally tipped over and dented the psychology teacher's new expensive trash bin from Sweden. They could be giving her compensation for having a paint bin being spilled on her when they were painting the new roof (which she could say was the ugliest shade of light blue she has ever seen in her life, and it's really hard to go wrong with light blue). So yes, there are a lot of reasons as to why she could be in this predicament. 

But that doesn't stop her heart from beating at lightning pace when the tiny little principal walks into the room. It's cute, honestly, how she walks in and she has to squeeze past Reina's chair despite being so incredibly tiny. She looks like a little toy. 

"Ichioka, do you know why you're here today?" The principal sits in her chair swiftly, it swivels, and the chair is positioned so high Reina could just tell the principal's legs were just barely on the ground.

Reina has to pause for a bit, she needs a couple days, months, possibly years to think of the many reasons why she could be here.

"Paint incident?"

"No.. But we're sorry about that."

"I tipped over Ms. Michishige's trashcan?"

"Not that either, but did you apologize?" Reina shakes her head no.

"The fire alarm?"

"Come on, everybody does that at least once." 

"Oh no way.." There's a small pause, Reina gasps a little, her heartrate fastens and she anxiously looks to the small principal. 

"Is it because I broke half of the calculators in the math department because I thought the spring-thing was supposed to be pulled out so I could turn them on?"

The principal is absolutely done. "No, but you did that?" Another violent head shake. "Well you're here today because the PTA decided that we need a student body, to involve you guys more in general management of the school, you know, increase the general morale here. We want you to be president." 

There is a long, very long, unreasonably long pause. Reina cannot express her shock in words so she sits and stares. And the principal begins to believe she's making a huge mistake already but chokes it down because the word of the PTA is truth and truth only.

"So I'm going to be in a position of power." Nervous laughing fills the awkwardly small room, it's Reina, obviously, who looks like she's about to combust. "And I'm going to have.." 

"Yes." 

"R-responsibilities?"

"YES." 

It's been about fifteen to twenty minutes since school first began, and it's the fastest she's realized out of all four years that she's never going to have a break and she'll forever be trapped in this Hell. She's being pessimistic, yes, the worst quality she could be possessed by at the moment, but she's got time to work on it. Reina's expression is completely blank, as well as her brain, it's definitely blank. The principal stares at her with genuine concern and regret. "You're going to have responsibilities," the child (grown adult) feels like she's going to cry, "you're going to be in charge of school events," her eyes are getting glassy, "you're going to hold fundraisers," a single tear falls down her cheek, "and you're going to make this school actually have school spirit." Twenty reasons have already stormed her head that she doesn't want to do this, she just wants to go home and it's been twenty minutes since school started. "Of course, you're going to have your council. I'm sure you're familiar."

The door opens behind her and it feels like those scenes in reality TV shows where the previously eliminated contestants suddenly come back into the game, except it isn't one of those situations and Reina is making a weird analogy to herself that firstly, makes absolutely no sense, and secondly, is the worst thought she's had all year. She's had runner-ups such as the peanut butter jelly avocado toast, self-driving electric tricycle, and wristbands entirely made out of silly string. Though she's snapped out of the stupid thoughts when she feels two forces pushing against the chair she's sitting on inside the loose-paper ridden and now suddenly claustrophobic room. 

"Meet your vice president and your secretary, Takase Kurumi and Shimakura Rika." The two try, emphasis on the _ try _, to bow out of due respect. She can't even see them, Rika's hair actually hits her face with the failed bow attempt, but Reina already has a giddy feeling about this council. "They're going to help you set everything out straight and figure out everything that's going on. Your official office room is 4-C, just by the underclassmen classrooms and the copy room. Dismissed." 

Reina's never wanted to leave a room so badly, and she pushes pretty hard through her new companions in suffering to get out. Once she feels the great privilege of air conditioning and fresh air on her face, she couldn't feel better. The door closes behind her and now she's put in a new situation, face to face with her cabinet. 

Shimakura Rika, snobby, rich, smart, stylish, talented, everything that encompasses the school's number one in academics with the entire PTA in her hands. Reina can at least force herself to get along with her, she can try, it's not like it's that hard to befriend and work with the PTA's definition of the second reincarnation of the evangelical god. 

Takase Kurumi, short, stylish new short hair that Reina doesn't remember from their middle school days, and she's got kind of a baddie look going for her at the moment. She's an old middle school "former best friend" turned acquaintance. Reina really doesn't choose to remember whatever happened in middle school, to be truthful nobody does, but she does remember that this girl is her ex. And from what Reina's learned through Youtube and Netflix binges (oh and also personal experience), she's supposed to not get along with Kurumi.

"So," Reina starts because the other two are looking expectantly at her, "did we all agree to this? At all?" 

Kurumi answers first. "Yes, actually. It kinda sounded fun." She gives Reina an odd, questioning stare. 

"I also in fact chose this for myself!" The prodigy claims, she has her hands on her hips and Reina is jealous of her posture of steel. "I would like to make this school an ideal environment for everybody living in this lovely town." If Reina could make a connection now, she believes that this girl is a brilliant piece of processed, American cheese. Kurumi looks like she's sick and it looks to be that there's going to be a lot of conflict between the two, judging by how hard Rika is clenching her jaw smiling at Kurumi. Honestly Reina lives in the wrong timeline where she's forced to collaborate with her middle school ex, a rich reincarnation of Jesus, the PTA (disciples of god), and the school faculty.

"That's good! Uh.. Let's go to the meeting room?" They nod, the first thing they all collectively agree on, and walk to the building. There they see it, an odd, lonely looking door facing the parking lot. The doorknob is a little dirty, and Reina reminds herself to Clorox the hell out of it sometime this week. 

The blue door creaks open and the room is completely dark. She and Rika are chicken, so Kurumi grumbles something about "acting like children" and "being completely useless," but what does that matter when there's a room covered in loose papers, cobwebs, odd furniture placement, and an old TV. There's a lot of cleaning to do, definitely, a lot of renovating. Both of which takes a decent amount of brainpower, the brainpower Reina can't confirm she has. 

The girls wander inside and it immediately reminds them of the principal's room. 

"At least we're getting the same treatment as the head honcho?" Kurumi sighs, swatting cobwebs as she ventures through the great unknown. "It looks like so much work honestly."

Rika giggles to herself. "Maybe we can get ourselves a kitchen. Oh there are so many things we could do!" 

Reina feels like she has to do something, anything to reinforce her position here as leader before Kurumi murders Rika and before Rika transforms the room into the kitchen from the Great British Bake Off. She takes in a deep breath, she's incorporated a great idea into her head and she's about to act on it. 

Her brilliant idea:

"Okay who's got suggestions on how we could clean this all up!" Her tone is overenthusiastic and she knows that Kurumi notices. It's kind of embarrassing but she's thankful that Kurumi doesn't even care enough to expose her on it. 

"We could just take out the big stuff out. Do the small stuff. I can borrow a pickup truck from a friend."

Reina hums. "Yeah, maybe we could do that. I can bring a wagon or something."

"... Or I could get the butler and maid to do it?" Rika suggests quietly, whistling to herself. "Maybe that'd be easier for the each of us." 

They all shake their heads, and they shake on it. They meet in the middle of the room just about when they're going to head out and continue with their school day. 

"Alright." Reina, the school's student council president grins. She's invigorated with some weird feeling. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna make this school a better place." Kurumi chuckles a little, they have their fun.

“We’re gonna have fundraisers!” Rika squeaks a little. “Including bake sales!” 

They all smile at each other, in an odd, dusty, weird mess of a student council meeting room.

“And we promise, as 2019-2020’s student council, to make this school year the best one yet.”


	2. take notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> getting along never seemed so hard for three third-years

“Okay, here’s what’s on our to-do list.” 

The classroom is still dirty and musty, it’s about an hour before school begins and the three are gathered to discuss their entirely nonexistent plans. Reina has a blazer today, it’s ungodly cold, she’s shivering and sniffling a little contemplating every decision she’s ever made in her life. The other two are much better off on their own, Kurumi is well-dressed for the weather and Rika just seems perfectly fine. 

“..Do you need a pocket warmer?” Kurumi has a look of true, honest pity on her face but nothing will stop Reina from refusing out of courtesy. 

“N-Nope! I’m good, I’m okay.” Shivering she dusts off the table with a handkerchief and sets down a binder. “S-So t-t-this is the b-binder for our a-activities.” She’s kind of embarrassed by the way the other two look at her, there’s mild disappointment as Kurumi shakes her head and forces the pocket warmer into her hands. 

“Haha.. Tha-”

“Don’t.” 

“Oh okay..” Awkward silence fills the room until Rika, looking totally unbothered (she’s bothered), continues on Reina’s tangent. 

“So I’m guessing that our binder is to organize everything we’re doing! Great idea! Let’s discuss our activities and I’ll take careful notes.” The group feels better again as they begin to circle around the triangle-shaped table in a dusty classroom. 

Reina, now reinvigorated by the pocket warmer, starts to throw out ideas that are very obviously on the top of her head. “Let’s set up a welcome party for new teachers.”

Kurumi sends her back to Earth. “We don’t have any new teachers this year, actually, we do. Just one though.”

So far, Rika has written nothing, rightfully so. “What about we set up a welcome party for the 1st years?” Reina tries to come back with a better idea, but it gets shot down again. 

“We don’t have funding, the welcome party would be kind of too late to be a welcome party. Oh, and they’ll think we’re weird.” Kurumi shrugs, and Rika nods as she draws an x over her paper. 

“Most likely, they will think we’re weird.” 

“Okay.. Well.” She has to ponder for a bit, gripping her side of the triangle table. “What about we recruit more people for cabinet? So we don’t have as much work to do.”

Reina can tell Kurumi is trying to hide a smile. Rika is happily clapping for Reina. “Huh. Good idea.” 

“It’s brilliant!” 

It gives them a good laugh until Reina hears the 15-minute alarm she set on her phone. The choo-choo train ringtone doesn’t do her justice. “What class are you guys this year?” 

“3-B.” They both speak in complete unison, turn to look at each other, and give one another minor expressions of disgust. Reina picks up that they probably don’t like each other, and she suspected so. She’s known Kurumi enough to know that Rika isn’t exactly her favorite person in the world. 

“Well I’m in 3-B too, so we can all walk together.” Reina grins, they smile back at her. “We’ll split into three after break, I’ll take the front of the school, Kuru to the baseball field, and Rika-chan to the fountain.” The other two nod, Rika’s taking notes, presumably to log their meeting. “Which means I’ll meet the freshmen, Kurumi meets the sports captains, and Rika goes after everybody else. Try to at least interview them a little before? We’re going to look for reliable people.”

“..That can bake?”

“Yes, reliable people that can bake.”

The first bell rings and they walk to their class together, it’s on the second floor of the building and they’re the first to walk in. The windows have a good view of the baseball field, some trees, and the rest of the city. She can already tell it’s going to be awful during the Spring. 

Rika picks a seat in the front, right in front of the teacher’s desk. Kurumi picks a seat in the back, and Reina picks a seat in the middle, next to the window with no tree. 

Their first class begins as other students begin to walk in and settle down, their teacher walks in writing “Kusumi” on the board. There’s a perky, odd feel to their teacher for the year. Rika loves all her teachers unconditionally, Kurumi hates her to death already, and Reina can’t bring herself to care that much. But she can say that the first day of class was stereotypically boring and focuses on the lonely baseball field outside. 

Break comes around and the other two make their way to Reina’s desk, Kurumi looks absolutely spent and Rika is more energetic than ever. 

“Worst teacher we could get, honestly.”

Rika almost hits Kurumi on the back. “Oh don’t be so negative! I think our teacher is.. Nice!” Reina admires how much Rika tries. 

“Honestly? Whatever. Let’s go recruit some kids and then take a nap for the rest of the school day. Then we can come back after school and report our findings.” 

“Roger.” 

“Okay!” 

Reina could definitely take a break from the polar opposites in front of her. And she’s glad they all leave 3-B as she heads in the direction of the front of the school. She’s pretty tall compared to the newer students and it always scares her. Making her way through the yard, she searches for somebody in particular until she’s met with shouting and chanting. Reina immediately puts on her light blue student council badge and moves forward to assess the situation. 

The new students are crowded around a tree, with two individuals staring each other down. 

“Look Kiyono, back off the loser and go to class like the little good kid that you are.” A girl in short-hair stares down at her, she’s not that tall, but she’s definitely taller than the new student. 

“Nope! I don’t care if you’re a third-year.” She hoists the girl up, a tall girl with a high-ponytail and round glasses (kind of wimpy looking), and the girl runs off into the crowd with mumbled thanks. “You’re just kinda mean, oh and I don’t really care for the rules? So I don’t know what you’re getting at, but you can kindly go away and do whatever you want.” 

“I’m the volleyball team captain, I can do what I want.” The taller girl grits her teeth, her voice is getting lower. She raises a fist and begins to swing, but before she can Reina pushes her way through to catch it. 

“Student counci-” And then she’s hit in her cheek by a relatively tiny hand. It’s the small girl and for some reason she looks proud of herself. “Student.” Reina clenches her jaw, it hurts. “Council. I’m Student Council President Ichioka Reina and I’m obligated to take the both of you with me right now.”

She grabs both of their wrists and drags them to the nurse. It’s not for them, it’s for the cut across Reina’s right cheek.

Reina is getting her cheek bandaged up while the troublemakers sit on the nursery bed. The short principal walks in and she looks angry. 

“She started it!” They both yell, Reina’s just extremely tired but her ears start ringing. They bicker and the ringing gets worse.

“Oh my god please I’m actually going to die right here right now if the both of you don’t shut up.” The whole room goes silent and look at Reina with shock on their faces. “Just telling the truth.” 

Reina watches the troublemakers get scolded. But in the meantime she takes notes.

  
_Hirai Miyo (Volleyball Team Captain, 3rd-year)_:  
~ I recognize her, she was actually in my 1st-year class.  
Mean  
Not a good candidate  
Must talk to principal about getting her out of position  
of power 

_Kiyono Momohime (Bringer of Justice and Cheek-cut, 1st-year):_  
~ She’s interesting.  
She’s getting very defensive right now but she’s in the right so…  
Seems to be a good kid  
Definitely a candidate :)  
She’s got guts 

__

The last bell of the day rings and she can hear students flooding out of their classes. Sadly she can’t go home, but she has more than enough things to talk about now. Reina speedwalks to the classroom and sees Rika and Kurumi already there, talking about who they’ve met. 

“I found the co-captain of the Volleyball Team today, she’s nice and I think she plays the piano.”

“I’ve reconnected with an.. Old friend of ours!”

Reina hurries herself into the room. “Wow, who’s that?”

“Maeda Kokoro!”

_ Woah. _

“Megane-kun!?”

Megane-kun is the term every kid in their middle school used when they had a crush on a tall, fair boy with glasses. They all used to take the same train to their middle schools. It seemed everybody on that train was in love. 

“I also saw Yuhanemon, she’s supposed to be leading the art club this year, so I offered her a position here!” Rika triumphantly huffs. 

“..Did she accept?” Kurumi looks in disbelief, shock, mostly shock. Maybe because bad memories have resurfaced at the mention of Megane-kun. Reina chooses not to tease her about her fashion-sense back then. 

“She said she’ll mail us. By written mail.” She’s forcing a smile and Reina looks expectantly towards Kurumi. 

“I met Kobayashi Honoka, school pianist and member of the Volleyball Team. She said she needs to talk to her captain before she joins.” Reina starts to nervously laugh and Kurumi begins to think the girl went insane after their break-up when they were 1st-years. 

Reina chuckles. “About that captain..” She sets down her bag and inhales, dramatically preparing herself to spill it. “Hirai Miyo really doesn’t like me now because I broke up her fighting with a 1st-year.” 

“Wow, picking on 1st-years. That’s pretty low.” 

Rika furiously nods in agreement. “But the good news is, the 1st-year is a potential candidate.”

Kurumi stares at her blankly. “Did you ask?”

“No..” Mumbling, she fixes her hair. “But I have a good feeling she’ll accept.” 

“Good then!” Rika holds her hand in the center of the triangle table. “Good meeting, let’s keep each other updated.” She also sets a piece of paper on the table. “Write down your LINEs here, I’m making a group chat!”After they write it down, they pile their hands onto each other. 

“Alright council. Good work today. Let’s look forward to tomorrow!” 

“Yeah!” 

The girls pick up their bags and leave the room with giddy feelings.

_ ** shimarika00 ** added ** pandakurumi ** and ** chuosenicchan ** to Student Council ._

02:23** shimarika00: ** o(*>ω<*)o < Hi Icchan and Takase! ヾ(｡^ω^｡)ノ The group chat is here!!!

02:23** pandakurumi: ** thanks

02:24** chuosenicchan ** guys go to sleep?

02:24** pandakurumi and shimarika00 are typing.. **

Reina can conclude that this year will be messier than it should be.

**Author's Note:**

> been a while :) ! just thought i'd add another au i've been working on for a bit. going to start my october au sometime next week so look out! peace @4zecherry


End file.
